1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless telecommunications systems and, more particularly, to monitoring and reporting of network conditions in such a system.
2. Description of Related Art
In a cellular radio communications system (wireless communications network), an area is divided geographically into a number of cell sites, each defined by a radio frequency (RF) radiation pattern from a respective base transceiver station (BTS) antenna. The BTS antennae in the cells are in turn coupled to a base station controller (BSC), which is then coupled to a telecommunications switch or other gateway, thereby facilitating communication with a telecommunications network such as the PSTN (public switched telephone network) or the Internet.
When a mobile station (such as a cellular telephone, pager, or appropriately equipped portable computer, for instance) is positioned in a cell, the mobile station communicates via an RF air interface with the BTS antenna of the cell. Consequently, a communication path is established between the mobile station and the telecommunications network, via the air interface, the BTS, and the gateway.
With the explosive growth in demand for wireless communications, network resources can be stressed. For instance, as the level of call traffic increases in a typical cell site, the likelihood of interference between mobile stations can increase substantially. In response to such an increase in call traffic, the base station of the cell may instruct all mobile stations in the cell to decrease their transmission power, and the base station may itself begin to communicate at a lower power level with each mobile station in the cell. With lower transmission power, however, call quality can diminish, and calls may ultimately be lost.
Further, as cities and landscapes evolve, changes to topography can substantially effect the operation of a wireless network. For instance, as buildings and trees rise or fall in or around a cell site, the radiation pattern of the cell site may change drastically. As a result of new or changed signal reflections, for instance, the signal-to-noise ratio in or around the cell site may become unacceptably low and calls may be dropped.
To help manage the call traffic in congested or evolving areas and in other circumstances, a service provider may make changes to the network, such as by repositioning cell sites, subdividing cell sites into a number of sectors, adding new cell sites, or reallocating frequencies among various coverage areas. However, in order to effectively decide when and where such changes should be made, and to otherwise provide subscribers with acceptable and expected quality of service, a need has arisen to monitor communication resources.